Church Grows Vegetables

Over the winter, the Dunbar Heights Baptist Church had to dig up around the foundation of its building on Crown Street between 17th and 18th Avenues. Rather than re-landscaping in a nondescript way, they have taken a creative approach. The front of the building facing Crown is a very small space, but it is a friendly space, with paths and benches. The narrow strip along the lane could have been planted unimaginatively with grass or left to grow up in weeds but not so. In early July, you can see evidence of the sunflowers, mixed lettuce, and, as we shall see later, other veggies.


Not all the lettuce got harvested, and by the middle of August, the remaining plants had bolted.
But the green beans and striped squash are ready to eat.


This photo was taken at 7:45 pm, with the sun beginning to go down in the west (left of photo). Isn't this little strip an interesting and surprising asset to the lane?

A Courageous Boulevard Garden

In this small city in middle America, in the midst of productive agricultural land, at least one intrepid individual grows vegetables on the boulevard/curbside of the city's main street. Perhaps the person is a renter who is not allowed to grow vegetables in other parts of the lawn. I did not get a photo in 2009, but there were zucchini or squash plants grown there then. This photo is from July 29, 2010. Click on the photo to see the corn stalks.
Is there production? Note the pumpkin...

The plants literally spill out onto the busy highway, State Route 15 through Goshen, Indiana.
There is a mysterious blue sign "81". Perhaps that has something to do with permission to grow something other than grass in this spot. Does anyone know?

Strathcona Community Garden

Along with nearby Cottonwood Community Garden, Strathcona Community Garden also had an open garden on July 11. The sign pointing the way emerges from a thicket of blackberry bushes and morning glory.
This community garden has existed longer than the Cottonwood one, and the plots seem a bit larger. This plot is neatly cared for and productive.

Carpenter skills have provided a diamond-shaped structure for Swiss chard, all set in a larger plot with a low fence.

Vancouver's warm weather hadn't really begun, so milk cartons filled with water help warm up the tomato plants.

Gardeners are always changing things--this appears to be a plot under development. Or perhaps there are new gardeners for this plot.

An area given over to flowers--

I caught someone harvesting their garlic.

I had to severely restrain myself from picking these Alpine strawberries. They are the best!

Back to the wild, a space that runs alongside the gardens, this time a marshy area, rather than the blackberry bushes and morning glory that were near the sign to the garden. Retaining wild areas in an urban area is crucial in many ways.